Just thought I would introduce myself. I live in Syracuse, Indiana. I'm 17 and going into my second year of trapping so i guess I'm a rookie but I love trapping coons and possums. This year I'm gonna try for a coyote and some fox. Not sure how that's gonna go but I'll give it a whirl. I trap mostly swampy hardwoods but also 1 creek/muddy ditch that splits the property. Last year I used old rusty long spring traps my dad used when he was a kid. They were quite small and I was plagued with pullouts all year and a pullout after a long wait for another coon stings like nothing else. I've upgraded to duke #1.5 double jaws this year for coons, some old body grips my dad gave me for muskrats and 1 duke #4 4 coil offset for my coyote set. I have high hopes this year especially since I've started getting pictures of some nice boars at my supplemental feed for deer and ive located a coyote hotspot with a den nearby. Good luck to all of you other fellow Hoosier trappers this year. Now we just sit back and wait for trapping season.

You can add some strength to the old longsprings with auxiliary springs that fit inside the original springs. They can be riveted in. Or you can place a piece of pipe in the "V" of the spring and rap the end a couple of times to spread the spring open more and this will give it a boost. Hang in there and don't get discouraged.